Eggplant Pesto Parm Recipe
By Lisa Shanken
April 20, 2016
Eggplant is a versatile vegetable that can be made and served in a variety of ways. Containing no fat, cholesterol, and being only 20 calories per cup, makes eggplant a fantastic vegetable to use as a meat substitute. With our Eggplant Pesto Parm recipe, we show you how easy it is to make that swap from meat to vegetable. Our whole dish provides adequate amount of fiber, potassium, along with vitamins A and D. This recipe makes eating healthy look and taste delicious!
Ingredients:
- 1 Large eggplant cut in round 1/4 inch discs, skin on
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 4 cups Baby Spinach Leaves
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Parmesan cheese shredded or grated
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup Low-Fat Mozzarella *I prefer to use goat's milk mozzarella
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle salt on it, letting it sit for 5-10 minutes. The excess water inside the eggplant will start to condensate to its surface. Wipe it down with a paper towel.
- While the eggplant is sitting, place the spinach, olive oil, and the parmesan cheese into a blender (I like to use my hand held immersion blender) and pulse until it has a pesto consistency.
- Place a few discs of eggplant along the bottom of a ceramic baking dish. Spoon some of the spinach pesto on top of each disc.
- Next spoon some sauce on top of the pesto on each disc. Repeat until you have 3 layers of eggplant.
- Bake, covered, for about 35-40minutes. Then sprinkle the mozzarella on top of the cooked eggplant, cook for 5-10 minutes more until it melts, and serve.
Lisa Shanken
My passion is to help you live your healthiest and most harmonious life, but in a way that’s realistic and practical for you as a unique individual on this planet. My philosophy is all about “balance,” never a diet since a diet is not sustainable for life, aka Kill The Diet.
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